Berry’s Creek Marsh

Location: East of the Meadowlands Corporate Center and southwest of Oritani Marsh and the New Jersey Transit – Bergen Line in Rutherford, Bergen County

Latitude/Longitude: 40.80145/-74.08913

Current Land Use: Tidal marsh

Size: 85 acres

Current Ownership: NJMC

Site Description: Berry’s Creek Marsh is an undeveloped area most of which (70.4 acres) is landlocked between the NJ Transit Bergen railroad line and the old Rutherford landfill haul road. This marsh is dominated by common reed (Phragmites australis). Fish Creek meanders through the marsh. Approximately 40 acres within this site is occupied by the WOR radio tower array. Two parcels, totaling approximately 14.6 acres, lie between Berry’s Creek and the old Rutherford landfill haul road. The southernmost of these two parcels abuts the EnCap wetland mitigation site.

Existing Site-Specific Data Inventory

A. Survey, Maps, and GIS

HMD regional data exists inclusive of this site. Topographic information collected for a portion of the site in 2001.

Site-specific water and sediment contamination data collected in 1980 and 1985.

I. Historical/Cultural Resources

Site-specific baseline data collected in 2001.

J. Restoration/Remediation Design Plans

Final wetland mitigation plan developed in 2001.

Site Reports

Site #12 – Berry’s Creek Marsh

Category: Candidate Restoration/Preservation Site

Location: East of the Meadowlands Corporate Center and southwest of Oritani Marsh and the New Jersey Transit – Bergen Line in Rutherford, Bergen County

Latitude/Longitude: 40.80145 / -74.08913

Current Land Use: Tidal marsh

Size: 85 acres

Current Ownership: NJMC

Site Description: Berry’s Creek Marsh is an undeveloped area most of which (70.4 acres) is landlocked between the NJ Transit Bergen railroad line and the old Rutherford landfill haul road. This marsh is dominated by common reed (Phragmites australis). Fish Creek meanders through the marsh. Approximately 40 acres within this site is occupied by the WOR radio tower array. Two parcels, totaling approximately 14.6 acres, lie between Berry’s Creek and the old Rutherford landfill haul road. The southernmost of these two parcels abuts the EnCap wetland mitigation site.

Existing Site Specific Data Inventory

* – Report repeated under multiple data categories and/or sites.

A. Survey, Maps, and GIS

Relevant survey, mapping, and GIS data for the Meadowlands can be found in the Meadowlands-wide site report under data category A.

1. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.

B. Real Estate/Ownership

Berry’s Creek Marsh is owned by NJMC.

2. NJMC. Berry’s Creek Marsh Acquisition Information. September 2003.

Date of Acquisition: November 22, 1999

Cost of Acquisition: $1,181,996.84

Acquired from: Rutherford Land Company

C. Site History & Land Use

No data obtained.

D. Biological Studies – Fauna

3. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.

5. Environmental Concern, Inc. A Quantitative Comparison of the Proposed Wetland Mitigation Site and Impacted Site (C & F Realty, Ltd./ Berry Creek Distribution Center). April 1992. [4]The purpose of this report is to evaluate the wetland functions lost through impacts at the Berry Creek Distribution Center Development Site in Carlstadt, NJ and to compare them to the functions that will be gained through the proposed mitigation project located in Lyndhurst, NJ. The three approaches used were: 1) the Habitat Evaluation Procedure; 2) the Wetland Replacement Evaluation Procedure; and 3) literature validation.

6. *ERM-Southeast, Inc., Task I: Berrys Creek Study Volume I Nature of the Problem. October 1985.[1] This report includes site specific literature search and background investigation, site description, and describes the nature of the problem. Summarized in Volume I are all analytical data specific to the Berrys Creek area and the Wood-Ridge site. This report details, chemical contamination, of the site, surface water, mercury in the air and groundwater.

7. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.

9. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.

11. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.

13. *ERM-Southeast, Inc., Task I: Berrys Creek Study Volume I Nature of the Problem. October 1985.[1] This report includes site specific literature search and background investigation, site description, and describes the nature of the problem. Summarized in Volume I are all analytical data specific to the Berrys Creek area and the Wood-Ridge site. This report details, chemical contamination, of the site, surface water, mercury in the air and groundwater.

14. Galluzzi, Paul. Guidelines for Environmental Assessments of Channel and Marsh Sediment Disturbances in the Berrys Creek Drainage. April 1980. [1] Based on data from the 1977-1978 Mercury Study which indicates the highest mercury contamination exists in these upper Berrys Creek Marshes; the mercury dump site is less than 2000 feet north of the subject inquiries. Also there is a lot of evidence that mercury is only one of several heavy metals present in high concentrations in marsh sediments.

16. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.

J. Restoration/Remediation Design Plans

17. *Paulus, Sokolowski, and Sartor, LLC. Final Wetlands Mitigation Plan for EnCap Golf Holdings, LLC and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission: Brownfield Redevelopment Project. June 2001 (Revised May 2002).[1]Outlines the final wetland mitigation plan for Lyndhurst, Avon, and Rutherford Landfills. The mitigation area is located in Berry’s Creek Marsh. The report provides a description of wetlands to be impacted at the three landfills, as well as a description of existing conditions of the mitigation site including topography, soils and surficial geology, hydrology, vegetation, fish and wildlife, and historic resources. The report also contains IVA assessments for both the existing wetlands and the proposed mitigation wetlands, a detailed wetlands mitigation plan, and maintenance and monitoring plan.